Israel ranks highest on the UN’s 2025 list of grave violations against children
According to a new UN report, Israel was accountable for the most verified serious violations against children in the occupied Palestinian territories in 2025, noting a significant increase in abuses against children in conflict areas globally.
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The document, named Children and Armed Conflict 2025 and assembled by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, determined that serious abuses against children rose by 34 percent compared to the prior year.
The 47-page report indicates that those involved in armed conflicts perpetrated an unprecedented number of serious violations against children in 2025, representing “the greatest number of children impacted since the creation of the Children and Armed Conflict mandate.”
UN data for 2025 shows Israel recorded the highest number of grave violations against children.
The UN reported 38,558 serious violations against children globally in 2025.
These abuses involved killing and injuring, conscripting and employing children, kidnapping, sexual assault and other types of sexual violence, assaults on educational institutions and medical facilities, as well as hindering humanitarian assistance.
The report indicated that the UN confirmed a total of 12,445 serious violations against children associated with Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, with 12,436 cases occurring in the occupied Palestinian territories and nine in Israel.
Out of these, 5,452 violations were noted in the occupied West Bank, which includes East Jerusalem, along with 6,984 in the Gaza Strip.
The report indicated that Israeli forces committed 9,465 serious violations against children, and that 326 other violations were ascribed to Israeli settlers aiming to capture Palestinian territory.
The report states that Israeli forces apprehended 981 Palestinian minors in 2025, comprising 973 boys and eight girls. It stated that 180 children were detained without charges or trials, and 66 indicated they experienced physical violence and other types of mistreatment during detention.
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The report also documented the death of a Palestinian child while in custody and noted that the UN had confirmed three instances where Israeli forces utilized children as human shields in Gaza and the West Bank.
It mentioned that 2,223 children were harmed in the Gaza Strip and 2,921 more in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, by Israeli forces and settlers aiming to seize Palestinian territory.
